Why the heck does America still use outdated measurement and date units?

[Apple fanboy]

I was born in the metric measuring system, but my mother always used cups, and fractions of it in the kitchen. Also tablespoons, teaspoons, and so on. As for me in the kitchen, I always improvise and deviate from exact measurements. Once I get the flavors that I want, nothing else matters. My mother improvised and memorized quantities, and er food always tasted great to me. Hmm...I should have a cup of Cabernet South AU wine with dinner

Thing is I have no idea if that’s a big or small cup of wine! But then I don’t drink wine or cook so not surprising.
I’d rather have a cup of tea. For cup read big mug!

 

[Lee_Bo]

Being the grumpy old man, I’ll go ahead and say this:

Don’t think today’s millennials in the US can, or would be willing to, learn a new system?

Um, no.

______ no!

 

[Micky Do]

Thing is I have no idea if that’s a big or small cup of wine! But then I don’t drink wine or cook so not surprising.
I’d rather have a cup of tea. For cup read big mug!

Cup, teaspoon, tablespoon etc are standard measures of volume used in cooking...... and I think you know it.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Cup, teaspoon, tablespoon etc are standard measures of volume used in cooking...... and I think you know it.

Sure. Teaspoon and tablespoon. No idea what a cup size is. It’s not one that is used in the UK very often.

 

[bousozoku]

Yet the tyre industry still uses inches for diameters. (Widths seem to be metric but sometimes presented in inches.) But they also include an unusual element - a percentage - of height to width. And more significantly, this seems to be true round the world.

My 1980 Ford Mustang Turbo had the Michelin TRX special wheel and tyre package where the diameter was 390mm, rather than 15 inches. That was finished quickly as only two brands of such tyres were available.

 

[bousozoku]

I really hope you are not in the science or medical fields in America. You'll kill us all.

That's how NASA's Mars lander was destroyed. Some of the calculations were Metric and some were Imperial. No one bothered to check.

 

[bousozoku]

LMAO the english did not create the language. It is what was originally German LMAO. Your lanuage is a variation of a Germanic language (old English) that evolved to what you use as Modern English. You can't rewrite history, Mate lol

Actually from my experience, the british are quite a stubborn people

It originally came from the Ancient Swiss, the Helvetians, who were chased across The Alps by Julius Caesar.

 

[J.A.K.]

American exceptionalism.

/thread

 

[Herdfan]

Sure. Teaspoon and tablespoon. No idea what a cup size is. It’s not one that is used in the UK very often.

Same can be said of a teaspoon. Is that spoon we eat with or something else?

A Cup is a standardized measurement of either 8 fluid ounces or 16 Tablespoons.

My grandmother had a recipe for what she called Gold Cake. It is really just a dense pound cake with 2 sticks of butter and 5 eggs. I love it, but it is a PITA to make. Because I can never remember if the flour is 4 cups of flour sifted or 4 sifted cups of flour. And it matters.

 

[Chuckeee]

And let’s not forget a “pinch” of this or a “dash” of that

 

[polyphenol]

Same can be said of a teaspoon. Is that spoon we eat with or something else?

A Cup is a standardized measurement of either 8 fluid ounces or 16 Tablespoons.

My grandmother had a recipe for what she called Gold Cake. It is really just a dense pound cake with 2 sticks of butter and 5 eggs. I love it, but it is a PITA to make. Because I can never remember if the flour is 4 cups of flour sifted or 4 sifted cups of flour. And it matters.

In the UK, a teaspoon as a measure is standardised at 5 millilitres. This has slowly become standard having really become important for medicines.

Within the US, a cup might be standardised.

But in the UK a cup (if ever used) is 10 imperial fluid ounces, or half an imperial pint. I have two jugs which have cups marked on them. But I have to pinch myself and check whether they are UK or US cups and which the recipe was written for. (And the imperial and US customary fluid ounces are different!)

Basically, cup measures do not travel! And, yes, the difference between flours - packed and loose, white and wholemeal, etc. - can be important with cup measures.

 

[timber]

Same can be said of a teaspoon. Is that spoon we eat with or something else?

A Cup is a standardized measurement of either 8 fluid ounces or 16 Tablespoons.

My grandmother had a recipe for what she called Gold Cake. It is really just a dense pound cake with 2 sticks of butter and 5 eggs. I love it, but it is a PITA to make. Because I can never remember if the flour is 4 cups of flour sifted or 4 sifted cups of flour. And it matters.

So half a kilo of flour or 500 grams if one prefers.
If I guessed I would go with measure, sift, use. Makes the process seem easier and makes more sense to write the recipe like that.

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

Teaspoon	Tablespoon	Cup	ml
1			5
4	1		20
	3	1/4	60
	4	1/3	80
	6.25	1/2	125
	12.5	1	250

taken from https://www.rewardhospitality.com.au/cooking-measurements-conversions-guide

 

[AlaskaMoose]

Thing is I have no idea if that’s a big or small cup of wine! But then I don’t drink wine or cook so not surprising.
I’d rather have a cup of tea. For cup read big mug!

I love my tea an hour or two after dinner, but with dinner I prefer a small portion of wine in a cup, or glass, and so on. By a small portion I am referring to 4 ounces or so. Every now and then I used it for cooking, too.

How about a "portion" or "serving" of food?
A bowl of soup, or rice?
How about a "pound cake"?

All these crazy things are quite common in the US, but nobody cares about it. When asking for a cup of coffee I don't tell the person to pour 8 ounces of coffee in the ceramic or glass cup when I am at a restaurant. But the person at the coffee stand may ask, "8, 16, 20 ounces?" in reference to a paper cup, and not to the exact amount of coffee he or she will pour into the cup. Some customers want some room left to add more hot or cold water, cream, etc.

 

[Nermal]

Basically, cup measures do not travel!

Even between "close" countries, things can be different. For example, in Australia a tablespoon is defined as 20 ml, but in NZ it's defined as 15 (which I believe matches the UK, but I'm not certain). Complicating things further, when you buy measuring spoons from multinational retailers you don't necessarily know which size you're getting.

Edit: Wikipedia:

The unit of measurement varies by region: a United States tablespoon is approximately 14.8 ml (0.50 US fl oz), a European, United Kingdom and Canadian tablespoon is exactly 15 ml, and an Australian tablespoon is 20 ml.

 

[cyb3rdud3]

So just use metric instead of these silly cups, ounces (weight, liquid, and god knows what), spoons, stones etc that are different in every country, heck it wouldn't surprise me if they were different within some countries...

 

[Apple fanboy]

I love my tea an hour or two after dinner, but with dinner I prefer a small portion of wine in a cup, or glass, and so on. By a small portion I am referring to 4 ounces or so. Every now and then I used it for cooking, too.

How about a "portion" or "serving" of food?
A bowl of soup, or rice?
How about a "pound cake"?

All these crazy things are quite common in the US, but nobody cares about it. When asking for a cup of coffee I don't tell the person to pour 8 ounces of coffee in the ceramic or glass cup when I am at a restaurant. But the person at the coffee stand may ask, "8, 16, 20 ounces?" in reference to a paper cup, and not to the exact amount of coffee he or she will pour into the cup. Some customers want some room left to add more hot or cold water, cream, etc.

I have my tea with breakfast, after breakfast, mid morning, late morning, with lunch, after lunch, mid afternoon, with dinner, after dinner.
I stop around 7:30-8 these days. Used to go later. But you know. Getting old sucks!

 

[eyoungren]

I love my tea an hour or two after dinner, but with dinner I prefer a small portion of wine in a cup, or glass, and so on. By a small portion I am referring to 4 ounces or so. Every now and then I used it for cooking, too.

How about a "portion" or "serving" of food?
A bowl of soup, or rice?
How about a "pound cake"?

All these crazy things are quite common in the US, but nobody cares about it. When asking for a cup of coffee I don't tell the person to pour 8 ounces of coffee in the ceramic or glass cup when I am at a restaurant. But the person at the coffee stand may ask, "8, 16, 20 ounces?" in reference to a paper cup, and not to the exact amount of coffee he or she will pour into the cup. Some customers want some room left to add more hot or cold water, cream, etc.

I ordered a large cup of coffee from McDonalds once. At the time, in the mid-90s McD was new to the area I was living in. I got a medium cup of coffee.

When I questioned why it was a medium, the employee was confused and told me that what I was holding was a large cup of coffee. He says, "We have medium, large and extra large."

Uh no. McDonalds has small, medium and large cups of coffee.

So I stared at him for a few moments and told him, I'd like an extra large cup of coffee please. 'Cause trying to explain the menu to this person would have taken way too long.

 

[polyphenol]

So just use metric instead of these silly cups, ounces (weight, liquid, and god knows what), spoons, stones etc that are different in every country, heck it wouldn't surprise me if they were different within some countries...

When I was a young lad, in the UK, we didn't have measuring spoons - just whatever cutlery was in the kitchen drawer. And it did make a significant difference which one was chosen. So that is variability within one kitchen.

In addition, recipes often called for level, rounded or heaped spoonsful.

Unfortunately, even quite decent scales are often not good for measuring very small amounts so standardised spoons are often better.

I now use a set of very neat measuring spoons like these:

And spoons are awful for products such as honey or syrup! Can leave as much on the spoon as in the bowl. So prefer adding to the bowl on the scale.

 

[Huntn]

Would you rather drink a cup or 236.59 ML of coffee/tea? I’ll acknowledge that my cup of coffee is actually 2 cups, 16 0z which is still better than 473.18 ML. 🤔

 

[it wasnt me]

I'd rather have a 500 ml bottle of beer - or, as weird people say, 16.907 fl.oz.

 

[timber]

Would you rather drink a cup or 236.59 ML of coffee/tea? I’ll acknowledge that my cup of coffee is actually 2 cups, 16 0z which is still better than 473.18 ML. 🤔

If anyone measured coffee before drinking it nobody would really use mililitres, people would just pour a quarter litre (or 250 ml).
That's exactly one of the points of using a 10 based measurement system, you move fast between units whenever it's convenient. Therefore recipes are usually stated in dl or cl, ml only shows up for very small amounts.
Either way I only drink Expresso and don't really measure it.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Surly one measures coffee by its taste not its size? I believe it’s better to have a small cup of good coffee than a litre of crap coffee! Well that’s what @Scepticalscribe always says!
Personally for me it’s also important that the mug it comes in is of quality. Not keen on paper or worse plastic cups for such things.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Surly one measures coffee by its taste not its size? I believe it’s better to have a small cup of good coffee than a litre of crap coffee! Well that’s what @Scepticalscribe always says!
Personally for me it’s also important that the mug it comes in is of quality. Not keen on paper or worse plastic cups for such things.

Yes, agree completely.

Quality matters when discussing drinking vessels.

Porcelain, or proper pottery (glazed stoneware according to my Le Creuset mug), for me, when sipping tea of coffee, or a real glass, when imbibing beer or wine.

When sipping tea, or coffee, or wine, or beer, I don't care for paper or plastic.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Yes, agree completely.

Quality matters when discussing drinking vessels.

Porcelain, or proper pottery (glazed stoneware according to my Le Creuset mug), for me, when sipping tea of coffee, or a real glass, when imbibing beer or wine.

When sipping tea, or coffee, or wine, or beer, I don't care for paper or plastic.

I lost my favourite stoneware mug some time ago due to an unfortunate incident with a hammer. I was gutted. Have been looking for a suitable replacement ever since.